The Town of Lady Lake is taking a leap toward the future with a $2.9 million fiber connectivity plan.
The Lady Lake Commission voted 4-0 on Monday night to move forward with the 10-year plan. Commissioner Tony Holden was absent.
“I think this is the future. This will be a good thing for the town,” said Commissioner Ruth Kussard.
The commission originally considered the fiber connectivity plan in 2016, but feared committing too much upfront money to the endeavor. In the intervening years, the town’s Information Technology Director John Pearl worked with Magellan Advisors to refine the plan.
Under the revised plan, the commissioners have embraced the “pay as you go” implementation of a fiber backbone to interconnect town sites including buildings, utility infrastructure, communications towers, parks and important public spaces. The plan also anticipates a future wireless overlay network that will improve mobile connectivity for town field staff and support fixed wireless service for parks and public areas.
It is hoped that some of the costs will be paid for with grants. Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $22 million in grants for broadband, infrastructure and workforce development in Florida communities.
